Something Beautiful
by Alina-Cantha
Summary: Hinata's sixyear relationship with Kiba has come to an unfortunate end. Naruto's there to comfort her, but the memory of Kiba haunts the both of them. NaruHina KibaHina


**Something Beautiful**

**Chapter 1: The Sky Should Weep On Days Like This**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the Naruto-verse. Masashi Kishimoto does, and do not intend to cause any disrespect to his wonderful anime/manga. I also am earning no profit by this, and am doing this only for my own (and my readers) enjoyment.**

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Standing in the dark, Hinata stood and watched the sun rise turn the dark clouds orange and pink. It was supposed to rain on days like this, but instead today was bright and sunny. She crossed her arms against the freezing wind and looked down at her feet. She bit her lip to keep from crying. Further down on the hill, the stone memorial was having another name etched into its cold stone, one that she never wanted to see there.

_Inuzuka Kiba_. The last mission he'd been on had literally been his last. Hinata hadn't been with him, and she didn't think she'd be able to live with herself. As it was, she was barely holding on. Team-mates since the age of twelve, she'd originally been afraid of him. But she had grown to love him, just as she loved Kurenai and Shino. Something about Kiba had always intrigued her. Maybe it was his devil-may-care attitude, maybe it was his looks, but she had always thought that it was his similarity to Naruto.

When she turned sixteen, Kiba had taken her out on a date, as a 'birthday present.' That same night, Hinata had slowly begun to erode her obsession with Naruto. Before he left that night, Kiba had kissed her uncertainly on the cheek, before he left her at her home. She had never forgotten how red he was as he waved goodbye, but of course, she had blushed just as hard as he had.

A month later, Sakura and Ino had begun lightly teasing her about her 'going steady with the mutt.' She knew they were joking, and had actually found it within herself to tease them back, Ino about Shikamaru and Sakura about Lee. The girls had all become friends, and in a way, Naruto had begun Hinata's change, but Kiba helped it along as well.

All these things they'd done, the things he'd done for her, the missions they'd been on… Hinata had nothing to rely on anymore besides her memories. His funeral was today. In a weird way, she was looking forward to it. His family had been planning the ceremony for a week, and Hinata had been helping them wherever she could. She was just sick of the aura that hung around the Inuzuka's home, as well as her own. People had been bringing flowers and food all week, even to Hinata's house. She hadn't known that many people had thought they were that close. She had spent six years with him, and it really hadn't seemed like long.

Below, the stone carver packed up his tools, leaving with his head up high. To him, the name he'd just carved into the memorial meant nothing, probably just some stupid kid who'd thought he was invincible. He had no idea how much it hurt to see the name of a loved one, a son, a brother on that stone. Already dressed in black for the funeral, Hinata trudged down the hill. At the memorial, she knelt and thought a silent prayer. The names on the stone were well worn, and some of them had been there so long, they almost blended into the rock. Kiba's name was a white scratch across the bottom, fresh against the gray.

Hinata stood and looked down. On the top of the stones, the phrase "Never Forget," was scratched. She wouldn't.

Earlier, she had gone to Ino's flower shop to purchase some flowers for the memorial. The other girl had given them to her free, with her apologies on Kiba's death. It was starting to bug Hinata. Everybody said they were sorry, but why? They couldn't have done anything about it. They had no idea how she was feeling. Why even bother to give her their apologies?

She laid the flowers on top of the memorial, bowing her head. "From Ino and me, Kiba," she whispered. "See you later."

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Later that day, the funeral began. Much smaller than Hokage's ceremony, Hinata was glad for it. Dressed in black, she sat timidly in a chair on the edge of the front row. At the front, a closed casket was covered with traditional Konoha Village trappings and flowers. A closed casket funeral meant that med-nins probably couldn't have done much for him anyways. Even so, Hinata would have liked to see his face one last time.

Slowly, everybody else filed in. Kiba's mother sat beside her husband, face buried in a kerchief. Her shoulders shook, although her sobs were quiet. Hinata heard whimpering and looked for its source. Beneath the casket, Akamaru lay with his head on his paws. A long string of whimpers came from the dog, accentuated by a short, mournful howl. The dog, much larger after years of growth, was refusing to leave his master, even in death.

Hinata smiled thinly as she beckoned the dog to her. Kiba had taught her his hand-signals he used with Akamaru, as they worked on missions together much of the time. That was probably one of the things Hinata regretted most: that she hadn't been able to be with him when she died. Slowly, Kiba's partner got up and walked over to the girl, resting his head in her lap. Whimpers still sounded from his throat, albeit quieter. "I'm sorry, Akamaru," Hinata apologized quietly. A few tears fell onto the dog's fur. "I wasn't there for him." In response, Akamaru only closed his eyes in acceptance.

Beside her, Naruto slid in next to her, dressed in black as well. He bowed his head for a moment in Hinata's direction before turning his face to the sky. She saw his lips moving in a quiet prayer. The blonde boy had matured a lot in ten years. Although she'd been wrapped up with Kiba, she'd still kept half an eye on the aspiring Hokage. Ten years ago, he couldn't sit still long enough to talk, much less pray for a fallen friend.

In those last ten years, Kiba and Naruto had become friends as well. Ever since that horrible mission where Kiba had almost met with death for the first time, where they'd attempted to retrieve Sasuke, the two grew closer and closer. As they advanced, they were assigned many missions together, even more than Kiba and Hinata had had together. Naruto was probably having as hard of a time with this as she was.

Finishing his prayer, the jounin reached over to scratch Akamaru gently between the ears. "Hey, big guy," he whispered. He moved his hand momentarily to Hinata's knee, giving it a firm encouraging squeeze. "I'm sorry." He withdrew as the funeral began.

The ceremony was dedicated to the memory of a simple boy, only twenty-two years old, who had met an overpowering enemy and finally, an unfortunate end. Only rarely were prayers said, and death was only even mentioned a few times. Finally, the service was over, and four hunter-nin stepped forward. Respectfully, they each grasped a corner of the boy's casket and left. Hinata sat numbly. She had forgotten about that.

Shinobi could not afford to be buried. The hunter-nin's had to dismantle each and every body, preserving the village's secrets. All that would be left of Kiba in the end would be that single line on a stone full of other names. Tears began to drip down her face, trailing down her cheeks and off her chin.

"Hinata? You okay?" Naruto asked. He had stood and begun to leave, but at the sound of her crying, he turned back, concern on his innocent face. She nodded, but he didn't leave. Instead, he knelt, looking up into her face. She turned away. That tiny little nagging crush on him continued to bother her. For all those years she'd been with Kiba, she'd always been thinking of Naruto, even if she wouldn't admit it. Now that he was dead, even _talking _to Naruto felt she was being disrespectful.

He reached up one strong hand and touched her cheek. Wiping her tears away with his thumb, he said in a low voice, "Please forgive me, but I thought you might want to know this. Sakura told me that you were wondering about Kiba's…intentions."

She turned back towards him, looking into his deep blue eyes. At first concerned that he was saying things to make her feel better, all she saw in his eyes was sadness for the death of a friend, and for the sorrow of another. "Please, tell me," she asked him.

"Kiba and I have been friends for a long time," Naruto began, still holding Hinata's gaze. "He says things to me that he won't say, I think, to anyone else. And he begged me not to tell anybody else this." He paused, stomach flipping. Was it worth it to betray a friend's trust, although that friend was dead? Looking at Hinata, he decided that it was. "He told me that he loved you," he continued bluntly. "He wasn't joking."

"I believe you," Hinata whispered, voice almost breaking.

"He showed me. He had a ring picked out for you. He was just working up the courage to ask you."

"Oh my-" Hinata brought her hands up to her face, hiding the tears that stung her eyes once more.

"I'm truly sorry. I'm not the most tactful person in the world…but I thought you might want to know." He stood, quietly looking at the flowers left at the front of the room. "If you ever want to talk, I'm here for you. He was probably my best friend, and I know he was important to you." Noiselessly, he began to walk away, head bowed.

"Naruto, wait, please." Hinata stood and walked after him, Akamaru shortly trailing behind her. Looking at Naruto's still form, she thought, just a little, about what Kiba must have meant to _him_. After Sasuke's disappearance, Naruto had been betrayed, and had lost his best friend. For a while, none of the boys had been able to tolerate anyone. As they matured, though, Naruto and Kiba grew to like each other, and became friends. Hinata knew that Naruto had never gotten over Sasuke's departure, but maybe Kiba had meant more to the boy than she had thought.

He turned to look at the shorter girl, brushing his face with one hand. A tear? "Thank you for telling me," she began, voice cracking. "It will be hard to get through this; thank you for your help." Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around Naruto. He embraced her as well, holding her tightly. For just a moment, they held each other, wrapped in their shared sorrow.

Finally, Hinata let go, reluctantly. Naruto followed suit. "I'll see you later."

"Goodbye, Naruto." Hinata watched as the boy walked out of the silent room, staring at the floor. She wanted to follow him, but her body wouldn't let her. After he left, she walked back to the front of the room and sat down next to the bundles of flowers given in honor of her former teammate, and no matter how trite it sounded, her boyfriend. She had loved him, and he had loved her, but now even the _cause _of his death was classified information. He was simply dead, gone forever. Not even a grave to mourn over.

She hunched up, pulling her knees up to her chest. Looking down at her stomach, she finally let herself go. The tears fell, and that silent room was suddenly full of the sounds of her lonely sobs.

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**Continue, or no? This was designed to be a one-shot, taking place when most of the characters are 22. But if you readers so desire, it can be a multi-chapter story. I rather liked it, actually, and it only took a few hours in a single day to write. Thank you for reading! And common consensus so far says I should continue.**


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